Shows

What a success and a great evening we had at the Gallery opening. The Drip Show had a great turn out and was a great kick off.
Coming next, the gallery will feature Lyn Sparks freelance photographer.
I will be having my own show at the Brody Theatre in the downtown Portland Pearl district. The opening will be the first thursday of the month of April.
Thanks for reading!

The Drip Show @ Dollop Gallery

It's two weeks away...
We are opening our gallery doors on Friday March 5th, 2010 from 6-8pm. The official name of the gallery is now "dollop". I will be displaying my own paintings for the big kick off in a show titled "The Drip Show", featuring many of my paintings, all with a drippy aesthetic.
Come bring yourself, your friends and your imagination. Enjoy goopy treates and a dab of art at Dollop.
Please email or call for details.

Gallery Plans and 2010 events

The plans for the gallery are coming along. The name will be "The Woods Gallery" and Kathryn Elizabeth Studios. The target opening date will be March 5th, the first Friday of the month. I will be showing my own paintings for the event. Come April we will be having a guest artist, Lyn Sparks who will be showing her photographic art. We are much anticipating the opening and future shows. All opening nights will take place the first Friday of each month. We will start with personalized invites and eventually hope to be part of the NE Portland art walk. As of now there is no specific art walk for North Portland. I will be trying to spear head something of this nature.

I will also be going back to school to complete my graphic design fine arts degree at the Art Institute of Portland.

Come October 2010 I will be showing my work at Leisure Public House, a neighborhood pub down the road from our house. www.leisurepublichouse.com

Many exciting things to come in 2010!!!!

New Bio

-Kathryn Elizabeth Johnson-
No matter how tired I am from the day, I find myself lying in bed for hours thinking pretty ridiculous thoughts. Although I have some trouble sleeping it’s at those times I get the best ideas and dream up fantastic projects. Some ideas proclaim themselves brilliant only until resurrected in the light of day, but regardless keep me pretty entertained. Other times I keep myself completely horrified, letting my imagination get the better of me. That can be productive too. This creative crazy land starts here, and then I have fun fine-tuning.
I’m a big fan of acrylic paint, texture, big googly eyes, complimentary colors, paint on wood, typewriters and splotches of ink on paper. I really enjoy the painting process. I find it to be the language I understand best, and a great way to communicate. I think as a culture we are driven by our emotions, dreams, aspirations and childhood memories. They are tools that make the world go ‘round, helping us figure out our everyday lives. Although some may spend their lives trying to fight them, I spend my days trying to make use of them. Either way we are suckered in.
My only hope is that my artwork allows it’s viewer to realize something, whatever that something may be. Maybe they remember a book they read as a child, or a reoccurring nightmare, or perhaps they just remember an item to be added to their grocery list. Whatever it is, if they have taken a moment of consideration than it’s a success, connection achieved. The fun of it all is finding a way to bridge the gap, break through barriers, speak from the gut and poke the person next to you. Poke on…

Santa Claus

I don't remember when I found out that Santa Claus was not real. I wonder how many people do. Maybe I've blocked it out and remain in utter denial. One of my most memorable dreams was on Christmas eve, when I was around 5 years old. In this dream, I woke up hearing jingling bells and what sounded like hooves on the roof top above my room. I jumped out of bed and ran to the window. There in the middle of my parents yard was Rudolf the red nose reindeer. He was great, and nice enough to teach me how to fly, something I've always wished I could do. It's actually very simple, you just flap your arms and they act as wings. I was able to lift off the ground and hover at the top of the tall trees in the front yard. Rudolf told me that I could use this new skill to stay out of danger. To this very day when I have a nightmare, am in trouble or someone is chasing me, I'll flap my arms and fly just out of reach of the bad guys. He must have known of all the terrifying dreams I'd have for years to come.

I think it's important that kids believe in Santa Claus and I also think it's important that they find out it's a make believe story. Because when they do finally get over the fact that their cookies and milk were consumed by their parents, they realize what it is to dream. They see the difference between reality and fantasy, and that it's perfectly fine to enjoy both. Probably a pivotal moment for some, choosing which world they like the most. I prefer the imaginary much of the time. If only Santa Claus were real and if only we could fly outside of our dreams.

Night Light

I have always believed that if you go to sleep with a leg, an arm, or even a finger hanging over the side of your bed, bad things will happen. For some reason I got it in my head at a young age that the devil will get you this way. He'll get you when your just falling asleep, snuggled into bed and have your defenses down. The one time I consciously said to myself "I can do this" and let my leg dangle, a big black beetle crawled up my leg. I was falling fast asleep in a dark room, let the leg hang and felt this creature crawling, it felt like cold little fingers ready to take me to the underworld. I quickly shot out of bed, turned the light on only to find this shiny black bug looming, as if to say "we're gonna get'ya". It was then I knew that it was true. Don't hang any part of your body over the side of the bed when the light's are off....he'll send his beetles.
I think children are smart to be cautious when going to sleep. Some think there are monsters hiding under the bed. I think they're right. I'm a big fan of the night light. This is why I'm thinking of painting a whole series dedicated to the night light, and to the monsters hiding under the bed that always remain looming, ready to snatch you up. I'm determined to find out who they are and reveal them.

Testing...1 2 3...Testing....

I had no idea just how bad I look after painting for hours straight, barely coming up for air. Oh my lord almighty, my hair is horrible and I have aged 20 years. This was last week when dad had a tooth ache:) Being that you are my only blog subscriber, dad, I don't really have to type that.